Therians/ Therianthropy

First off quoting "Wikipedia"
"A therian may also be a member of the contemporary subculture of therianthropy, which is based on a spiritual and/or psychological identification with animals."
"Therianthropy refers to the metamorphosis of humans into animals. Therianthropes are said to change forms via shapeshifting. Therianthropes have long existed in mythology, appearing in ancient cave drawings such as the Sorcerer at Les Trois Frères."

"The term therianthropy comes from the Greek theríon, θηρίον, meaning "wild animal" or "beast" (impliedly mammalian), and anthrōpos, άνθρωπος, meaning "human being". It was used to refer to animal transformation folklore of Asia and Europe as early as 1901. Sometimes, "zoanthropy" is used instead of "therianthropy"
Therianthropy was also used to describe spiritual belief in animal transformation in 1915 and one source raises the possibility the term may have been used in the 16th century in criminal trials of suspected werewolves."

"Shape-shifting in folklore and religion

Main article: Shapeshifting

Shapeshifting refers to the alteration of physical appearance, in this case, from human to animal. Lycanthropy, the transformation into a wolf, is the best known form of therianthropy, followed by cynanthropy, or transformation into a dog, and ailuranthropy, or transformation into a cat.^[7] Werehyenas are present in the stories of several African and Eurasian cultures, while wererats are rare in historical legends, but have become common in modern fiction.

Shape-shifting in folklore and religion

Main article: Shapeshifting

Shapeshifting refers to the alteration of physical appearance, in this case, from human to animal. Lycanthropy, the transformation into a wolf, is the best known form of therianthropy, followed by cynanthropy, or transformation into a dog, and ailuranthropy, or transformation into a cat.^[7] Werehyenas are present in the stories of several African and Eurasian cultures, while wererats are rare in historical legends, but have become common in modern fiction.

Lycanthropy (werewolves)

In folklore, mythology and anthropology, the most commonly known form of therianthropy is lycanthropy. The werewolf is generally held as a European character, although its lore spread through the world in later times. Ancient Turkic legends from Asia talk of shapeshifting shamans known as "Kurtadams" which translates directly to "wolfman." The idea of being descendants from wolves has been a part of Turkic shamanist beliefs. Shape-shifters, similar to werewolves, are common in tales from all over the world. Although the definition specifically describes a metamorphic change from human to canine form (as with a werewolf), the term is often used to refer to any human to nonhuman animal transformation.

Cynanthropy (weredogs)

Main article: Cynanthropy

The Greeks also spoke of cynanthropy (Kynior, dog). Cynanthropy, sometimes spelled kynanthropy, is applied to shapeshifters who alternate between dog form and human form, or to beings that do not shapeshift but possess combined dog and human anatomical features (Hamel, 76). It is also used for real persons suffering from the delusion that they are dogs (Ashley, 37). After lycanthropy, cynanthropy is the best known term for a specific variety of therianthropy.
The term existed by at least 1901, when it was applied to myths from China about humans turning into dogs, dogs becoming people, and sexual relations between humans and canines .^[8]
Anthropologist David Gordon White called Central Asia the "vortex of cynanthropy" because races of dog-men were habitually placed there by ancient writers. Hindu mythology puts races of "Dog Cookers" to the far north of India, the Chinese placed the "Dog Jung" and other human/canine barbarians to the extreme west, and European legends frequently put the dog men called Cynocephali in unmapped regions to the east. Some of these races were described as humans with dog heads, others as canine shapeshifters (White, 114-15).
The weredog or cynanthrope is also known in Timor. It is described as a human/canine shapeshifter who is also capable of transforming other people into animals against their wills. These transformations are usually into prey animals such as goats, so that the cynanthrope can devour them without discovery of the crime (Rose, 390).

Ailuranthropy (werecats)

Main article: Werecat

European folklore usually depicts werecats who transform into domestic cats, sometimes of an enlarged size,^[9] or panthers. African legends describe people who turn into lions or leopards, while Asian werecats are typically depicted as becoming tigers. The transformation of each individual animal feline form possesses its own version of the "were" title, for instance werelions, wereleopards, werejaguars, werecheetah, and werepanthers. The general classification of werecat typically applies to all, excluding circumstances between werecats, whom identify each species by the appropriate specific title. Werecats have been represented as typically living in prides regardless of sub-classification.

Skin-walkers and naguals

Main articles: Skin-walker and Nagual

Some Native American legends talk about skin-walkers, persons with the supernatural ability to turn into any animal they desire, though, to be able to transform, they first must be wearing a pelt of the animal. In the folk religion of neighboring Mesoamerica, a Nagual or Nahual is a human being who has the power to magically turn themselves into an animal form, most commonly donkeys, turkeys, and dogs,^[10] but also other and more powerful animals such as the jaguar and puma.

Theriocephaly

Main articles: Hybrid (mythology), Theriocephaly, and Centauroid

Therianthropy can also refer to artistic descriptions of characters that simultaneously share human and nonhuman animal traits, for example the animal-headed humanoid forms of gods depicted in ancient Egyptian religion (such as Ra, Sobek, Anubis, and others) as well as creatures like centaurs and mermaids.



 

For furries, it's a hobby, Therians are the spiritual ones. I can say that for myself, I'm a furry BECAUSE I'm a therian, and suiting makes me feel closer to my animal. However, there's lots of furries who just do it for fun. They do it for enjoyment, making people smile, etc. There are definitely some therian furries, but not all furries are therians. It would be therianthropy that would conflict with a religion, however I'm a therian and a Christian as well so... it depends on your view on your religion. Being a furry should have no influence on your spiritual beliefs at all.